Yosemite Fire 2013 Update: Fire Containment Not Expected Until Sept. 20, Officials Say
Wildfire experts are still monitoring one of the largest wildfires in California history and have made the prediction that the fire will not be fully contained for at least another two weeks.
The Rim fire has burned across a vast area and quick speed. It has reached Yosemite's backcountry at Lake Eleanor, which is accessible by hiking trails, park spokeswoman Kari Cobb said. But officials are stating that the fire will not be fully under control until Sept. 20.
Cobb explained that the area currently affected by the fire is not actually one of the often visited parks of the park, but nevertheless she described it as "very beautiful."
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She also confirmed that at present the Yosemite wildfire is about 20 miles away from the main tourist area at Yosemite National Park.
Fire crews have found it desperately difficult to keep any kind of control of the fire, and it has spread, destroying several homes and numerous other outbuildings, according to The Associated Press.
The Yosemite National Park is still technically remains open, but the fire has forced the closure of a four mile area of State Route 120 – on the west side which is one of the three main entrances to the national park.
The blaze is in fact centered on Stanislaus National Forest, west of Yosemite. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service has said 4,500 homes, hotels, businesses and several campsites are under threat as of Friday, up from 2,500 on Thursday.
U.S. Forest Service spokesman Trevor Augustino told The Los Angeles Times that while the current weather had enabled firefighters to clear brush, set backfires and bolster containment lines, "any rain we get would be a tremendous asset."
The Rim Fire, the largest fire recorded in Sierra Nevada history and fourth largest in California state history, has currently burned almost 225,000 acres according to Cal Fire. It is also reporting that the fire has obliterated 100 structures, 11 of which are homes, though it currently threatens 5,506 structures, the majority of which are residences.
